When I say this has been a semester….whew. I am not exaggerating. I have missed writing but in the great scheme of survival, writing has taken a back seat. (I have big wrting plans for the summer. We will see if they come to fruition.)
Today I have my last final session of Spring 2024, and it is with our BSW seniors. This cohort has been together for the last two years in core social work classes, and many of them have known each other all 4 years of college. Our final session isn’t an exam; it is more of a final reflection and celebration. They have turned in their portfolios last week and all their other assignments, so here at the end we do some final sharing and then we have our traditional ice cream party and “goodbye for now”.
One of the things I do in this course at some point is have them reflect, in small groups, on their strengths, especially ones they have seen emerge this year in their field placement or personal relationships. I ask each person to name their strengths, and then invite the members of the small group to affirm ways they have seen those strengths play out, as well as share with the person other strengths they have observed about them. We haven’t had a chance to do that this semester so it is one of the things we are doing today. I thought it would be nice to share with them strengths we as faculty have observed in each of them as well. I asked my colleagues to share their ideas and the result is this: 9 strengths for everyone (20 graduating seniors), captured in my best penmanship on cardstock. (I am taking markers to class in case people want to add the strengths named by their peers as well.)
I wanted to take this extra step (putting it on paper) because of seeing the benefits of my Lenten practice this year, which was to speak encouragement to others daily. It is something that I have continued beyond Lent, because I was reminded of the simple grace that speaking life to others brings to them and to me. Speaking encouragement to others also helped me to remember to speak encouragement to myself as well, and this was a very necessary reminder that I needed.
Encouragement is a key part of therapeutic processes.
Encouragement is also just really necessary, and often lacking in this world.
As one of my favorite poems from David Whyte concludes, “People are hungry. And one good word is bread for a thousand.”
Teaching (toward) the Beloved Community 